This invention relates to an improved full face fabricated vehicle wheel construction.
Full face fabricated wheels are becoming increasingly popular due to the enhanced styling they provide over conventional fabricated wheels. A full face fabricated wheel is distinguished from other types of fabricated wheels by having the associated wheel disc form the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange of the wheel.
One example of a full face fabricated wheel is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,482 to Overbeck et al. As shown in prior art FIG. 3, the end of an outboard bead seat 60 of the rim is provided with a radially in-turned flange 62. The in-turned flange 62 is machined to provide an axially extending surface 64, a radially inwardly sloping surface 66, and a radially extending surface 68. These surfaces 64, 66, and 68 are machined to attain the tolerances required to accurately assemble and produce the finished full face wheel. The radially inwardly sloping surface 66 cooperates with an inner surface 70A of the outboard tire bead seat retaining flange 70 of the disc to form a trench. A weld 72 is deposited in the trench to join the rim and disc together.